Accepting the idea that you are not the mind is a great step toward mental mastery, better concentration and meditation, and the attainment of inner peace. You realize this idea as a fact, after you develop the ability to focus your mind in accordance with your will. Being able to direct your mind according to your will is a proof that you are not your mind, but something higher and above it.
Concentration and meditation require the ability to focus the mind, otherwise you will be constantly distracted and your mind will move from one thought to another, and that is neither cocentration nor meditation.
By practicing concentration exercises and learning to direct the mind according to your own will, you prove to yourself that you are not the mind. You realize that you are separate from the mind, otherwise how can you master it? It is you, the real you that is directing the mind. The ability to focus the mind or stop its activities in accordance with your will, awakens the understanding that you are not your mind, and this understanding helps both concentration and meditation, and is a great step toward self-realization.
Here is an excerpt from the book ‘Meditation – An Outline for Practical Study by Mouni Sadhu, where he speaks about this subject:
You Are Not The Mind
‘Meditation, as you may see, needs an attitude that is deeply reasonable and full of common sense. Do you want to have it summarized in a few words? Then accept the truth, that you and your mind are not one and the same thing, that your mind can lead you well astray, and that it is not interested either in the development of your self-knowledge, or your abilities to dominate it.
Know, that if you can stop its activities for even a short time, or direct them according to your own will, it is a proof that you are not your mind, just as the car you drive is not identical with the driver himself. This, if you like the term, is one of the most important initiations man can pass through during his first steps to the eternal life in pure consciousness.’
Entries (RSS)
Hello, i’m a beginner in meditation. Which kind of meditation should i get started with?
There are so many types of meditation that i get confused. I’m looking to just relax and attain a peace of mind.
Thanks.
You can practice this simple meditation.
Sit down and relax.
Just try to be aware of your thoughts, without analyzing them or following them. Let the thoughts come and pass through your mind, while being aware of them, but without any interest or emotions involved.
Usually, when thinking, there is involvement with the thoughts. One gets immersed in the thoughts, with one thought leading to another thought. In this meditation you are to be the observer of your thoughts, without being involved with them.
This is a simple, but not so easy to practice meditation. You will find again and again that your mind is following your thoughts and being involved with them, instead of just watching them. Every time this happens don’t get frustrated, and also don’t fight with your thoughts. Just stay calm, and again and again bring your attention back to watching your thoughts, as if they are outside of you, don’t belong to you.